The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-13
Gunmaker Maxim and the Gear.
From the Pal Neil Gasett,


Mri Maxim received a very cordial well
corne'at the Russian capital, and he had but
little difficulty in convincing the Minister
of War-whose name .she'decares it is quite
impossible forany Anglo Saxon TO pronounce
without diSlocating his jaw--of the advan-
tages of his machine gun. AT present he
has only built guns to suit tie English
cartridge. He has undertaken to build a
gun to suit the Muscovite ammunition for
the cartridge is the soul of the gun.
The chief interests of his visit, however,
centred in his excursion to Gatschina and
his reception by the Car. Mr. Maxim was
to have taken his gun to TIE palace, but on
arriving at the station the Minister of War
begged him not 20 take the gun through.
He said that the Emperor was very much
pressed with business; they had no end of
papers for him to read through and sign,
and il Mr. Maxim were once to get his gun
into the Imperial presence all hopes of got
ting any business done would disappear; for
the Emperor took so keen an interest in all
such matters that he was apt to become
absorbed in them TO the detriment of other
business which the Minister did not wish to
have postponed Mr. Maxim reluctantly
consented to leave his gun behind, and went
to GatSchina armed with nothing but an
| album of photographs.
On arriving at Gatschina he was ushered
where capital dinner was served him and
he was waited upon by regiment of
officials in elaborate uniforms After he
had refreshed himself and made his toilets
he was conducted by one high functionaIy
through endless passages and handed over
to the care of aides-de-camp, who after a
little barley ushered him into the Imperial
presence. The Car stepped forward and
greeted him kindly and introduced him to
the Grand Duke Michael, who was present
at the interview
Mr.. Maxim was much impressed with the
palace of the Car He describes Alexander
III. as being a man of Imperial presence, tall,
stately, not in the least degree corpulent,
with an eye as clear as if he had been, like
Mr. Maxim himself, teetotaler of the State
of Maine. He is slightly inclined to be bald
but is in the primo of life, full Of vigor and
intelligence. 1t was impossible to look into
his clear, open countenance without realiz-
ing the absurdity of many of the stories
current in the English press The Grand
Duke Michael is less progressing in appear
ance, and trace of Imperial purple in the
wrong place seemed to imply that he was less
abstemious than the Emperor.
Where is your gun, MIR. Maxim" asked
the Car.
II have not brought it. said Mr.. Maxim
in French, 'as | feared you would not have
time to look at it.
The Emperor shrugged his shoulders and
looked at the Grand Duke with an air of
disappointment Mr. Maxim had it on his
tongues end to lay the blame on the War
Minister, who had so sorely against his will
induced him to leave his gun behind; but
rejecting with shrewd Yankee sagacity
that if he blamed the War Minister his
chances OF securing contracts to supply the
Russian army with his automatic machine
gun would materially diminish, he refrained
and made the best shift he could by opening
his album of photographs and describing his
gan to the Emperor. Never had he a more
interested listener; the Gar questioned him
closely concerning all the details of his gun
and discussed the whole question with the
cl0ss interest of a mechanic.
s1riH3ut why have you left your own country
toeoome to England" asked he.
56zllE. Maxim explained that as his business
WAS TO make weapons of destruction it was
necessary for him to take up his abode in a
continent where the business of destruction
was the chief occupation of mankind. In
the New World they have something else to
do than to kill each other Therefore he
came to the Old World, where instruments
of slaughter were in request. The Gar
laughed and continued his inquiries about
the gun.
The conversation, which began in French,
was soon changed to English, which the
Gar spoke with case and accuracy, but
with foreign accent Mr.. Maxim promised
to come back again in the autumn, and bring
with him gun adapted to the Russian
cartridge. After some further friendly re-
marks, in the course of which the Gar
recommended his visitor to beware of TAX
ing too much brandy-'little knowing
said Mr.. Maxim, "that he was talking to
a blue-blooded, down-east-coast state of
Maine teetotallerr--the interview came to
an end. 1t had lasted nearly three4quarters
of an hour